HGF's Encanto XI is Reserve National Young Horse Champion in Spain

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HGF's Encanto XI is Reserve National Young Horse Champion in Spain

11.08.2009

The Spanish National Young Horse Championships were held this year in Vejer Spain during the weekend of 30 Octobert-1 November. HGF's 7-year old Encanto qualified for the 7-9 Year Old Division, which is similar to the US Developing Horse Test, a modified Prix St. George. Encanto was imported to Spain from the US in the spring of 2007 to start his training with Daniel Martin of Fuengirola. The pair's first competition together was this past July, a PSG at a National Show in Estepona. Following that, they won both the PSG and I-1 contests in Cordoba, and then were third and first at another large competition in Montenmedio. The National Young Horse Championships are their fourth competition together and they made a spectacular showing among the top young horses in Spain. Encanto was the only PRE in the competition to finish in the medals, and the 7-9 year old class contained many imported warmblood horses that had extensive training and showing outside of Spain (including, incidentally, Daddy Cool--a horse that competed at PSG/I-1 last year in the Wellington CDIs by our Southfields Road neighbor and Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer).

The weekend began with a Preliminary Qualifier test, afterwards the Young Horse Test and finally a Kur. The tests were judged by a panel of three which included international judges from Germany and the Netherlands. Dani and Encanto's scores were better each day and Dani reports that he received much encouragement from the foreign judges following the competition. The competition was won by the 9-year old Dutch horse, Tegro. Dani and Encanto's final results for the Silver Medal were:

Encanto is by Spanish Olympic legend Evento, out of HGF's Cantora XVI. Cantora was purchased by HGF in 2001 along with her daughter Ibiza. The offspring from these bloodlines are very popular among HGF clients and are on the bottom side of several up and coming young horses including Martin Schaudt's Genio HGF, David Sonshine's Iliado and HGF's Conquero.